Tackling rural poverty through adopted villages

Farmers from rural communities have been the focus of the adopted villages project undertaken by the Federal Government designed to institutionalise sustainable livelihoods for the rural poor. Stakeholders see the project as having the potential to end rural poverty. DANIEL ESSIET reports.

Aikali Musa (not real name) is a farmer in the North.For years, he has been a subsistent farmer, planting maize and beans. Often times, he had experienced low yields or total crop failure due to poor rainfall.This is because his farm is situated within a dry land and susceptible to drought. Added to this, he has not been benefiting from new agricultural techniques.

Musa is not alone in this predicament. There are thousands of rural subsistence farmers who have no access to farming techniques and input.

For these farners however, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. The adopted village model of agriculture initiated by the Federal Government is beginning to turn the fortunes of these farmers around.

Under the scheme, Musa and others will be trained on modern farming methods and cultivation of drought tolerant crops (DTCs). This will inevitably translate to improved yields and transform their lives from subsistence to commercial farmers.

Under the initiative, government and private organisations are increasingly adopting villages across the country.

The adopted villages’ project, which is akin to the extension worker’s scheme introduced in the defunct Western Region by the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, is designed not only to make farmers aware of the latest technologies but also demonstrate these on their farms.

At the end of the year, the village is expected to turn into a model for farmers from other villages to emulate.

Sakadadi is a quiet agrarian community in Sabon Gari Local Government Area of Kaduna State. It is noted for growing maize but things have since changed for the communtiy after the National Agricultural Extension Research and Liasion Service (NAERLS), Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria decided to adopt the village to impart technologies available in maize production.

A team from NAERLS are usually deployed in the village to enlighten farmers on how to plant, and dress the seeds, apply herbicides and fertiliser for improved crop yields.

The project has been making tangible impact on the quality of life and incomes of members of this community as the quantity and quality of agricultural output has increased.

As a strategy, research institutes are using the adopted village scheme to change the fortunes of local farmers. A farmer who identified himself simply as Abdulrahman said the scheme has changed the fortunes of his community. “We not only produce to feed ourselves and families now, we also have excess which we sell to get income to send our kids to school,” he said through an interpreter.

Determined to address the poverty challenge among rural farmers, the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN) has directed the National Agricultural Research Institutes (NARIs) to revisit and revive the concept of adopted villages. ARCN asked research institutes to adopt villages to facilitate the trial of new research findings and dissemination of information technologies to farm families in the adopted villages.

Subsequently, successful researches from the adopted villages are adapted and replicated in new locations to benefit farmers.

In support of this initiative, the World Bank has approved a major funding forARCN to implement a project known as the West African Agricultural Productivity Project (WAAPP) to promote value chain innovation platforms in the adopted villages.

NAERLS, in collaboration with WAAPP-Nigeria conduct activities in seven adopted villages located in five agro-ecological zones across the country. These include Sakadadi,Kaduna;Nasarawan-Buhari, Kaduna; Tudun-Iya, Katsina; Shuwari, Borno; Nwogi, Niger State; Okolo, Oyo State, and Lodu-Imenyi, Abia.

The Institute of Agricultural Research and Training (IAR&T), Ibadan, has two adopted villages.They are Oniyo village in Orire Local Government Area of Oyo State. It is about 21kms Northwest of Ogbomoso town. The second is Moloko-Ashipa, located in Obafemi Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State. Some of the activities carried out in adopted villages include evaluation of organic-base fertiliser for cassava/maize/melon, on-farm testing of high yieldng and pest resistant varieties of rice and dissemination of ethno-veterinary technologies and improved management practices to sheep and goat farmers.

Agricultural colleges are adopting nearby villages to help farmers improve their methods and increase yields.

In Oda village, Ondo State, the Federal College of Agriculture (FECA), Akure has a success story to tell with educating farmers in modern poultry management. The result is better eggs production and daily sales. The maize/cassava inter-cropping system chosen by Eleyewo village farmers was used as a training resource for improving productivity in the system.

The Coordinator, WAAPP /ARCN adopted village programme, FECA, Dr Samson Odedina, said the programme has increased yields for small cassava farmers at Eleyowo village in Akure South Local Government of the state. Though village level processing facility was manual, farmers have been able to identifiy opportunities within the cassava value chain.

According to him, last year, the programme commissioned and trained Eleyowo farmer groups on cassava value addition with equipment support to enable them do business profitably.

FECA is one of the three colleges of agriculture adjudged qualified for second round funding.

ARCN project of adopted villages and schools is based on performance in spreading proven agricultural technologies to schools and communities.

WAAPP-Nigeria’s National Project Coordinator, Prof Damian Chikwendu, said the programme was designed to strengthen the NARS to contribute to technology development, dissemination and adoption of new technologies to boost agricultural productivity through the adopted villages.

He said the specific objectives of adopted villages and schools are to enhance food security and market competitiveness, empower resource-poor farmers, enhance job and self-employment opportunities for youths and women and augment sustainable natural resource management efforts of the communities.

So far, beneficiaries’villages have increased from seven to 23, while groups in the villages have increased from 21 to 105. Direct farmer-beneficiaries have reached a total of 16,500.

About 17 secondary schools nationwide are participating with over 18,500 pupils’ enrolments.

He said WAAPP and some universities are disseminating information on improved agricultural technologies through adopted villages to farmers. The institutions include Bayero University, Kano; Usman Dan Fodio University, Sokoto; Abubakar TafawaBalewa University, Bauchi; Federal University of Technology, Yola; University of Agriculture, Makurdi, University of Ilorin, Federal University of Technology, Minna; University of Abuja, FUNNAB Abeaokuta, FUT Akure, University of Nigeria, Nsuka; University of Calabar and the University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.

On the effective dissemination of agricultural technologies through the adopted villages and the Agricultural Research Outreach Centres (AROCs), he said the universities are expected to reach a minimum of 10,000 farming families in their vicinities. They are, particularly, required to note the performance indicators as part of their success stories. Such indicators, he said, include the number of people that are adopting the technologies as well as those taking to farming as a result of the new technologies.

The adopted villages and AROCs are located in the immediate localities and in the secondary schools in the neighbourhood of the research institutes, all within 20 kilometre radius.

The components of the projects are designed for developing technology and transferring such technologies to farmers. At the moment, experts are seeing positive things coming up to farmers through the adopted village model scheme.

Crop protection specialist, Prof Daniel Gwary, said helping farming families increase production in a sustainable way and selling more crops is the most effective way to reduce hunger and poverty over the long term.

Gwary, who is of the Department of Crop Protection, University of Maiduguri, said helping farmers improve their yields requires a comprehensive approach that include the use of seeds that are more resistant to disease, drought, and flooding; information from trusted local sources about more productive farming techniques and technologies and greater access to markets.

For this reason, he said the ARCN has set up AROC in adopted villages and schools to help researchers interact and develop technologies that meet the needs of farmers in various agro-climatic conditions in the country.

He said the research centres will provide effective linkage between extension, research and farmers; and enable researchers to be aware of the social and economic environment in which their developed technologies will be applied.

Speaking during the handover ceremony of an AROC in Bwari Area Council, ARCN Executive Secretary, Prof Baba Yusuf Abubakar, said the programme would engage 5,000 farmers yearly in the participating area councils.

Represented by Director of Coordination and Technical Research of the council, Prof. Olusola Oni, he said the research centres would provide effective linkage between extension, research and farmers; and enable researchers to be aware of the social and economic environment in which their developed technologies will be applied.

“The programme is impacting on the FCT through the dissemination of proven agricultural technologies and innovations from the NARS to farming communities and secondary schools in Abuja Municipal, Bwari and Kuje area councils,” Abubakar said.

Handing over the centres to the community and the school, the Coordinator of the programme, Dr Ronke Alao, said the inclusion of secondary schools in the programme is to spur pupils’ interest in agriculture and increase the application of improved technologies in their household farms.

While appreciating the gesture on behalf of farmers in the area, the leader of the farmers, Sarkin Noma, Salisu Galadima, commended ARCN for considering Kawu village, adding that farmers in the community will take advantage of the centre to improve their farming activities.

The programme is a collaboration with the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria, the West African Productivity Programme in Nigeria (WAAP-Nigeria) and support from the World Bank.

For watchers, the project has demonstrated the viability of poverty reduction through entrepreneurial capacity building. It could be repeated elsewhere.